Catching Deryn
by silent romantic
Summary: Trying to teach Miss Deryn Sharp to ballroom dance can be rather difficult.  R&R, please.


**Yeah, finished Goliath. I had to write a story with fluff. I need to warn you, there is a few spoilers for the end. **

**That aside, these characters don't belong to me, they belong to Scott Westerfeld. **

"Barking spiders, Deryn!" Alek winced, pulling back his now throbbing foot. That was the eighth time she had stepped on him in the past ten minutes. And he was just teaching her a simple waltz. Deryn released his hand and stepped back, nearly tripping on her skirts.

"Well it's not my fault I'm supposed to be dressed like a girl for tonight's gala!" Deryn shouted back, sliding in her dance slippers, she fell to the floor. Alek caught her with a sigh and made sure she was stable before letting go.

"Deryn, this is supposed to be the night when you dazzle the media with your story about how you were the first decorated female airman. Of _course_ Dr. Barlow is going to make you look the part. Now, let's try again." He stood with his hand out. As she took it he spun her around and caught her against his chest, his arms wrapped around her.

Deryn looked at him and realized how much he had grown. He was finally the same height as her, and in her mind, the perfect height. Her eyes met with his and she leaned forward to kiss him. It was a soft, loving kiss, but as she pulled away, she whispered, "I really don't like the waltz."

Alek laughed a little and said, "Well, my dear, there are plenty of dances for a young lady such as yourself to learn."

"What about a Scottish dance?" She said, looking hopeful. Alek sighed and said, "I'm afraid it has to be a ballroom dance." Deryn's eyes fell, and Alek felt his spirit falter a little at the sight. Clutching her a little tighter, he remembered a dance his mother had spoken of once performing with his father. She had shown him the basic principal and steps of it, and for some reason, he still remembered all of the steps.

"Deryn," he whispered in her ear, "I know of a dance that might be interesting enough for your tastes." Deryn looked up, doubting that such a dance existed in such a formal setting. "Aye? Then what's it called, Alek?" Alek smiled at her.

"It's called the entwine." He replied. Looking around the room, he saw a scarf that Deryn had removed and left on the table. Smirking, he walked over to it and picked up one end. He then handed the other end to Deryn, who seemed as confused as he was when regarding the air maps. "Basically, the gentleman will hold one end of the sash, or in this case scarf, and the lady will hold the other. They dance for three minutes, during which the gentleman leads the lady thought a series of steps, trying to wrap the sash around her wrists and pull her against him. The lady, on the other hand, is trying to elude capture. Whoever meets their objective at the end of the three minutes wins." During all of this, Alek was walking in a small circle, causing Deryn to turn as well. His heart skipped a beat when he realized she thought this would be fun. "One other thing, Deryn. Neither partner can release the sash. Now, let's begin."

Alek started with a simple step, one Deryn had mastered long before. Soon after, he started to spin her around, and was amazed to see that she was dodging the sash like an expert, and even tugging him along and causing him to go faster.

Soon they were both feeling a little light headed from all the turns and quick maneuvers they had both tried, one for capture, and one for evasion. Alek and Deryn both found themselves getting tired and coming closer to each other. Eventually, Alek saw his only chance was to pull her straight at him, and see if he could flick his wrist fast enough to capture her.

After two steps, he saw his opportunity and tugged while Deryn was off balance from a spin. She surprised him by changing it and executing a near perfect Dip and Turn. At the end of that, Alek pulled her close and wrapped the scarf around her wrists. He couldn't help but smile, and whisper, "Deryn, I have caught you, and I win."

When her blue eyes met his green ones, Alek found himself realizing how close they really were, how heavily they were both breathing, and how Deryn's hair, which she had been growing out and had tied back for their practice, was coming undone and a few shorter strands were falling in her face.

Gently, he raised the hand not holding her bound hands and brushed the hair out of her face. She leaned her face into his palm, closed her eyes and nestled against his soft shirt, her bound hand flat against his chest. He raised her chin and she opened her beautiful blue eyes and looked at him, with a soft blush caressing her cheeks.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, their eyes closing. Alek found himself moving his hands to the small of her back and the back of her neck, pulling her against him. Meanwhile, Deryn clutched the fabric of his shirt, trying to get him closer, but couldn't due to the bindings on her wrists. Deryn walked backwards until they fell upon a couch placed in the ballroom. They broke off the kiss to get some oxygen, and Alek found that they had somehow switched positions so that Deryn was sitting on his lap, his tie was half undone, and her hair was all tangled. He reached over and untied the scarf binding her hands together and tossed it to the other side of their seat.

He looked at her, and said, "Deryn, I love you, more than anything else I've ever loved." Deryn smiled and replied, "I feel the same. Ich liebe dich mehr als das Leben selbst."She leaned against his chest, and Alek shifted so that he could wrap his arms around her waist.

A, had walked into the ballroom some time later. Finding them asleep on the couch, holding each other like life depended on it brought a smile to her face. She almost felt bad waking them up so they could get ready for the gala.

Almost, but not quite.

**Hope you liked it! And yes, the entwine is a real dance. It's also known as the Gentleman's catch. I learned about it through a wonderful book by the same name (Entwined) by Heather Dixon. If you like retellings of fairy tales, I highly suggest giving it a read. So hit the button below, and tell me your thoughts. I'd love to read them.**


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